AP Spanish Language Summer Assignment
Our school has designed the following summer assignment for students who will take the AP
Spanish Language Course in the 2014-2015 school year in order to better prepare them for the
course and make the AP Spanish Language experience more beneficial overall. The summer
assignment is intended to give students a better idea of what to expect on the AP exam as well
as to encourage practice with the language over the summer. Taking this assignment seriously
and spacing its requirements out over the course of the summer will benefit you greatly. Do not
wait until the week before school starts to begin this assignment! Waiting until the start of
school eliminates the continual practice this assignment is intended to provide!
Format of the AP Exam
The AP Spanish Language Exam is a 3-4 hour skill-based exam testing your abilities and
proficiency in Spanish. It is not a knowledge-based exam like most other AP exams. You
are “on stage” in Spanish for over 3 hours integrating all four of your skills in listening,
speaking, reading and writing.
Assignment #1
Familiarize yourself with the exam.
1. Become familiar with EVERYTHING that is published on the AP website about this exam.
The 2014 exam was a new exam and is radically different from those administered in
prior years. Studying the prompts from last year’s test will help you prepare for the
upcoming one.
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/spanish_lang/exam.html?spanlang
2. Look at the tips that the College Board suggests for you:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/prep_lang.html
3. When you have done this, please write a short summary (60-100 words) in English or
Spanish of what you have learned about this exam. Include some ideas of how you will be
able to study best over the course of the year. You can also include your hopes, plans,
areas of concern, etc. Bring this summary to the first day of class in August.
Assignment #2
Reading Practice)—Required for all students who will enroll in AP Spanish Language in
the fall. Due the first week of school.
1. El Cantar de Mio Cid: You will read this poem (students given a 45 page reader) and write
a 150 word summary for each part (there are 3 parts)
2. Reading comprehension and writing are important skills tested on the AP Spanish
Language exam. To strengthen your Spanish reading comprehension and writing skills
over the summer, you will read and summarize 5 news articles in Spanish. You will also
document new words you learn and use those words in original sentences. Use the form
attached to this packet to record the articles you have read and write your summaries.
Start now!
Where will I find news articles in Spanish? There are a number of news websites in Spanish
available on the internet. See the attached list.
IMPORTANT: If you believe that finding news articles in Spanish will be very difficult for
you due to travel plans or other issues, you must speak with the AP Spanish teacher BEFORE
the end of the CURRENT school year so that he/she can help you find the articles before the
summer.
News Websites in Spanish
BBC Mundo www.bbcmundo.com
El País (España) www.elpais.com
Univisión www.univision.com
Centro de Noticias ONU http://www.un.org/spanish/News/
El Universal (México) http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/noticias.html
El Mercurio (Chile) http://diario.elmercurio.com/2010/05/05/_portada/index.htm
Yahoo en español http://espanol.news.yahoo.com/
If at any time you need to contact me, please feel free to e-mail me at:
[email protected]
Assignment # 3
Listening/Viewing Practice You must listen to 5 hours worth. Each hour is worth 5 points or ½
hour is 2.5 points)—Required for all students who will enroll in AP Spanish Language in the
fall. Due the first week of school.
Listen to the radio, news, etc. and document it with a summary of 5-7 sentences in Spanish. It has
to be signed by a parent or guardian. Do not forget to document the web page, radio name, etc.
You may also fulfill this requirement by watching Spanish television, but it should be something
of educational value with a lot of language use such as a news program. See log attached. Start
now!
Vary the type of material to which you listen. For example: listen to things related to the
environment, politics, economics, tourism, etc. At the beginning it may be hard to
understand the first time so you may listen to it more than once, take notes, etc.
You can listen for 15 minutes at a time but remember that 30 minutes = 1 point.
Assignment #4
Writing Practice: Required for all students who will enroll in AP Spanish Language in the
fall. Due by Friday July 22nd 2016
You will be required to write 10 journal entries of approximately 60 words (not including
prepositions, etc.) on topics of your choice. These can be about your family, favorite TV Show,
favorite music group, etc. Be careful not to translate directly from English to Spanish, nor use any
online translation service, as points will be deducted or you may not receive a score for that entry.
Write your journal entries on notebook paper or in a word document and place them in my school
mailbox in the office or email them to me by Friday August 25th 2014.
AP Spanish Language News Article Record Sheet
(Please complete all the following information in SPANISH)
Nombre del estudiante: ______________________________________________
Título del artículo: __________________________________________________
Autor: ____________________________________________________________
Fecha: ____________________________________________________________
Nombre del periódico o sitio web: ______________________________________
Parte I. Escribe 10 palabras nuevas que leíste en el artículo y sus definiciones en inglés.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________________________
7. _______________________________________________________________
8. _______________________________________________________________
9. _______________________________________________________________
10. _______________________________________________________________
Parte II. Escribe 5 frases originales usando 5 de las palabras nuevas que leíste en el artículo.
1.______________________________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
4.______________________________________________________________________
5.______________________________________________________________________
Parte III. Escribe un resumen del artículo (extensión mínima 50 palabras).
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Parent/Guardian Signature _________________________________
TV / RADIO / PODCAST LOG
NOMBRE DEL ESTUDIANTE: ___________________________________________
FECHA: ______________________________________________________________
SELECCIONAR 1 (Encierre su selección):
1. TV
2. RADIO
3. PODCAST
NOMBRE DEL PROGRAMA:
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TIEMPO:
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RESUMEN / COMENTARIOS:
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PARENT / GUARDIAN SIGNATURE
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